State Children’s Health Insurance Program -- SCHIP
December 20, 2007
As no agreement was reached in the bipartisan, bi-cameral negotiations, Congress has decided to pass an extension of SCHIP through March 31, 2009. The extension includes additional monies for the 21 states that would run out of funding during 2008. It does not address the directive issued on August 17 from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which falls under the jurisdiction of President Bush, that children in families with incomes above 250% of the poverty line are no longer eligible for SCHIP. This would not only prevent states from enrolling new children above that income level, but would also force 17 states to drop currently enrolled children from their rolls. The Senate passed the extension, S. 2499, by unanimous voice vote on December 18, and the House passed the legislation by 411-3 on December 19. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt said the president would sign the bill.
NETWORK is deeply disappointed by the failure of Congress to pass an SCHIP reauthorization that, at the very least, would ensure that no children are dropped. The House leadership has stated that they will attempt to pass a reauthorization next year that will provide coverage for 10 million children, and will address the CMS directive. NETWORK will continue advocating for a policy in which no children would be dropped from SCHIP, and that the program be expanded to include all children in low-income families who cannot afford private insurance.
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